Packing gland



S. C. CARTER PACKING GLAND A ril 18, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug.20, 1945 INVENTOR.

SAMUE'L 6'. CAR 7'52 BY M m w i M W 7 r A April 3, 1950 s. c. CARTER2,504,496

PACKING GLAND Filed Aug. 20, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

- w' 5AMUEL C. CARTER 37 47'7'019A/EY Patented Apr. 18, 1950 UN I TE D"STATES FATEIN OFFICE PACKING GLANIY Samuel 0, Carter, almanac-am.-

Application August 20, 1945 Serial No. 611,464

4*Claims.

invention relatesto packing glands and deals more particularly with aconstruction for sea-line a shaft or rodopera'tiiig' in a gland whetherfor rotation or reciprocation. It general object of the invention toprovide a sim- 5 pie practical improved andparticularly -efii'cient'packing gland.

Theconventionai type of "packing "gland for a rotating orreciprocating-member designed 0211 the stuffing boxprinciple in" whichpacking is l placed around said member and is compressedto'ti'ghtly'hugit. Usual typesof packing m'ate rials are natural? or" synthetic rubber;leather, asbestos: soihmetalg fabric; etc or combinations or thesematerials; When suchi materials are-1 compressed around a rocfi shatterlike member; said-member: becomes friction bound-and it is; necessary tocarefully" operate the mechanism 1 of which th'e shaft is a-p'art;to'avold deleterious results. If the'packing isfnot made -tight the'structure is-subject to leakage; Also; such-packing'materials may becomeset aftera short period oftime and even further'compressionfiequentlydoes not re-establish an "effective packing seal. Further;'the-usualforrnsof packing flinc- 2 tion unevenly in thatitis necessary, from timeto time, toapply additional compression pressure to the packing tore-establish' a reasonably effecti-ve' seal."

Liquid seals have'al'so been usedto'se'al around a rotating orreciprocating member. Such seals, in'addition to leaking-orwashing-away; are par ticularly ineffective where high pressures andtemperatures are "involved;

Another object of my'inventionis'to provide a packing gland for arotating-0r reciforocati g member embodying packing means for said berwhlch ls under continuouspressure to pro vide an effective-'seal 'atall. times without inter faring with' thefre'e' operation: ofsaid'inember. 49

Another-object of my invention-is to provide a packing gland ofthecharacterindicated which is at all timesafluideand. pressure tighthighly resistant. to. corrosive fluids, and substantially unafiected byhigh temperatures.

Another object of my-invention is-to provide a packing gland of thecharacter indicated en1- playing plastic or semi-plastic packing.material embodyingnovel means for directing and retaining said. packingmaterial in position to eiiec- 50 tively seal a rotating. orreciprocating member.

A'further'object of my invention is to provide a packinggland'ot thetype referred'toembodw in?! novel means for" distributing the packing 1material to "desired-sealing" points or said: gland?" A further'objec'tof "myinventi'on is to'provide a packingglandbfthe'nature referred toincor pcrating' novelmeans for applying continuous pressure upon thepacking material.

The'variou's objects and features of 'myinve'ntionwill bemore fullyunderstood from the fol: lowing detailed description of "typical,"preferred. forms and applications of the invention, through out whichdescriptionreference is made "to'the'i accompanying drawings; in which?Fig: l'is an'end elevational view of'aglan'd embodyingthe inventionasappiie'dto a rotating: shaft;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view as taken ontlle-" line 2 4' of-Fig. 13

Fig. 3 15 an enlarged fragm'entary 'crosssee tional view as taken on theline 3-3 orFi'g. 2;.

Fig; 4*is aiurthenenlarg'ed fragmentary detail view or the-packing meansemployed lathe lnven: tion;

Fig-.5-is a viewsimi'lar to Fig; 1 of a modifica= tionoi'the-inventionasappll'ed' to a reciprocati-ngshait;

Fig"; o isacross sectional view as takenpnth'e line ii 8" of Fig; 5;

Fig: 7 '-is a bottompl'an view thereof Fig: 8* is an enlargedfragmentary sectional" View as taken on the line fi- -a'oi Fig. 6; and

Fig.1; lea-further enlarged fragmentary detail viewof the packing meansof the modification shown in Fig. 5; a

A gland construction embodying my invention comprises, generally, a bodyor flange A passing: an operating member'B; packing means C carriedbythe'fian'geA for sealing between said flange and the operating member B,meansD whereby packing" can be introduced into the gland, and meansE'for applying'continuous pressureupon' the packing.-

The body or flange A is adapted to'be mounted upon or formed as a partof a device, machine or" meohanismpf'which the member B may beanoperating part andsaid 'body can; therefore," be designed in variousways in accordance with" specific requirements; o'ne'general type ofmech: anism' which" isparticularly adapted for the "appliifastion of"mygland *include's pumps, engine's; motors; va1ves;;etc':; whereinit'is-desired to'em ciently seal said'inechanisms against fluid leak ageunder various conditions of pressure and temperature.

In the embodiment of my invention which is shown inFiqs'." 1 to 4,"inclusive;- I have" provided a. packmggiandimarticularlyadapted. to bean plied-to audio-form partof'a pump; or tile like,"

having a rotating member B. The modification I have shown in Figs. to 9,inclusive, comprises a gland suitable to be mounted on and form part ofa pump, engine, or valve having a reciprocating or longitudinallymovable piston B, or the like. The said two embodiments of the inventionserve only to illustrate examples of practical forms of my invention.

In Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, I have shown the body A as comprising ametal casting formed with a generally circular flange or plate in, acircular concentric hub H on one side of said plate, and opposedoutwardly and angularly directed bosses l2 and I3 extending from theline of jointure between the plate It] and the hub I provide the plateID with an outer machined face l4 and with aplurality of transversemounting holes [5 whereby the gland can be applied to a mechanism asbefore indicated and fixedly mounted thereon as by screws or bolts.

The body casting A has a through axial opening which I have shown ascomprising a bore l8 extending from the face I 4 inwardly to one side ofan internal shoulder flange provided with a smaller or reduced bore l8,a bore I9 extending from the other side of the flange I1, and acounterbore extending from the bore I9 to'the outer face 2| of the hubl. I show the bores l6 and 20 as internally threaded for part of theirdepth inwardly from the respective faces l4 and 2|.

I provide the boss I 2 with an axial threaded passage 22 and the boss 3with a similar passage 23 which is threaded at its outer end at 24. Thepassages 22 and 23 are arranged and directed to communicate with thebore l6 and comprise passages for introducing the packing material tothe bore I6. I

The member B, which I have shown as a rotating shaft, extends throughthe axial opening in body A and, in practice, I mount said shaft in ananti-friction radial bearing 25 located in the counter-bore 20. Inpractice I provide flanking lubricating retaining seals 26 and 21 ateither side of the bearing to hold lubricant in said bearing. I show theseal 25 in the bore |9 and the seal 21 in a concentric bore 28 formed ina retaining nut 29 which is threaded into the counterbore 2|] to holdthe bearing 25 in place.

An important feature of my invention is the structure that I provide inthe body A and 5 around member B to carry and direct the plastic packingthat I employ. In the arrangement being described this structure islocated in the bore Hi and between shoulder flange I! and a retaining orclosure ring 36 threaded in the outer end portion of the bore IS. Thestructure may involve a single inserted member or it may involve aplurality of members as I have shown in the drawings. In the structureshown I provide a metallic ring disc 30 in the bore I6 bearing againstthe shoulder flange I1. I provide one or more similar discs 3| in thebore [6 positioned to bear against said disc 30. In the drawing I haveshown but one disc 3|. These discs 30 and 3| comprise part of thepacking means C.

The discs 30 and 3| are circular or ring-like elements and the outsidediameter of the discs 30 and. 3| is such as to allow the discs to freelyfit the bore It. The central axial hole or bore 32 of each disc slidablyreceives or passes the shaft B. I show each disc as somewhat thickenedaround or adjacent the hole 32 as at 33and I provide each disc at ornear its periphery with a plurality of laterally projectingcircumferentially spaced lugs 34 which are of greater extent laterallythan the thickened portion of the disc. The lugs 34 form spacers for thediscs 30 and 3| whereby unobstructed annular spaces 35 occur between thediscs and between the outermost disc 3| and the closure nut 36 engagedin the threads of the bore Hi. It will be seen that the spaces 35 are infull communication with the holes 22 and 23. Because of the thickenedportions 33 of the discs each space 35 has a relatively thin and narrowrestricted part or throat 31 immediately around the shaft B. Inpractice, under ordinary working conditions I make the throat openingsso they are about I; of an inch in width at the shaft. The outer portion38 of each space 35 is very much wider than the throat portion thereof.I provide the members 30 and 3| with curved walls 38 Joining the throatand outer portions of the spaces to eliminate any sharp or abrupt changein capacity from the large spaces 38 to the throats 31. The walls 38serve to direct packing gradually from the outer portions 38 into thethroats 31.

Free axial communication is provided between the wider or outer portions38 of the annular spaces 35 by providing the discs 3| with a suitablenumber of transverse or axial holes or openings 39.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have provided packingmaterial receiving, directing and retaining spaces which serve togradually constrict packing material as it passes from the wider orlarger outer portions 38 to the narrower or restricted throats 31 at theshaft.

The packing material is introduced into the annular spaces 35 throughthe mentioned passage 22, said passage comprising part of the means Dwhich further comprises an elongated feed screw 40 which operates in thepassage. I provide the screw 40 with means such as the head 4| wherebyit can be operated to move axially in said passage.

The means E, which includes the passage 23, comprises a plunger 42disposed in the passage 23, an outwardly directed stem 43 on saidplunger. a retaining nut 44 engaged in the threaded portion 24 of thepassage and having a central hole 45 through which the stem 43 passes,and a helical spring 46 around the stem and in end abutment with the nut44 and the plunger 42. The plunger 42 is movable longitudinally in thepassage 23 and is normally urged against the packing by the spring 46.

The packing material which I employ may vary greatly in its composition.Generally, it may comprise a metallic or partially metallic materialwhich is solid at normal temperatures and pressures and which is capableof limited distortion and flow when subjected to high pressures. Smallflattened particles or flakes of metal, or the equivalent, may form anessential ingredient of the material I contemplate using and thematerial may generally comprise such ingredients as polymerizedchloroprene flour, castor oil, or a like material, and a neoprene cementbinder. One form of such packing material is disclosed in my patententitled Packing material," No. 2,286,260 dated June 16, 1942.

By means of the gland which I have provided, the packing material isintroduced into the passage 22 and the feed screw 40 is turned to forcethe material first into the outer wider portions '33, and then into thethroats 31 of spaces 31 under guidance of the curved walls 38*. As thematerial is thus confined or restricted, the flattened.

flakes seek a more orderly or regimented arrangement in the mass withtheir fiat sides parallel or substantially so.

When, by continued pressure of the screw, the material is forced throughthe inner narrower throats 31, said flakes are compressed into closercontiguity by forcing out most, if not all, of the other ingredientsfrom among them and finally, when the material encounters the shaft B,for practical purposes, there is presented a substantially whollymetallic packing around the shaft which comprises the edges of a largenumber of substantially parallel metallic flakes. Since the materialwill pass through the holes 39 provided in the discs 3!, the materialresiding in said holes serve to connect and unify the packing rings thusprovided in the spaces 35.

Pressure of the feed screw 4|] will force material into the passage 23and continued pressure will cause the material to project the plunger 42outwardly against the pressure of the spring 45. When said plunger hasreached its limit of outward movement the feed of the screw may bestopped. During continued rotation of the shaft B, any wear on themetallic packing around the shaft which may result in reduced efliciencyof the packing is immediately and continuously taken up by thecontinuous pressure of the plunger 42 on the packing material in thegland. Over a long period of time, a sufiicient amount of the materialmay be used up to bring the plunger 42 into close proximity with therings 39 and 31. At this time the plunger stem 43 will have little or noprojection beyond the nut 45. The amount of said stem projecting fromthe boss l3, therefore, indicates whether additional packing material isneeded in the gland. An additional supply of material can be readilyintroduced into the passage 22 without the need for stopping theoperation of the mechanism to which the gland is applied.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 5 to 9,inclusive, I have shown the body A as comprising a metal casting formedwith a circular plate and a central lateral mm 5!. I provide the plate50 with an outer machined face 52 and with a plurality of transversemounting holes 53 whereby the gland can be applied to a mechanism beforeindicated and fixedly mounted thereon. I provide the body casting A witha through axial opening which I have shown as comprising a small bore 54extending inwardly from the face 52, and a counter-bore 55 extendinggroin the bore 54 to the outer face 55 of the hub The member B, which Ihave shown as a reciprocating or axially movable shaft, extends throughthe axial opening and freely or slidably fits the bore 54. I provide ametal seat disc 58 in the bottom of the counter-bore 54 to bear againstthe shoulder flange 51. The disc 58 has a flat transverse face 59directed toward the open end of the bore 54. Laterally positionedagainst this disc face 59 I provide one or more metallic ring-shapeddiscs 60 arranged in side to side or face to face relation. These discsare substantially similar to the disc 30 hereinbefore described, eachhaving a central opening 32, a thickened portion 33, a curved wall 38*,and spacin lugs 34. The only material difference between the discs 60and the disc 30 is that they are smaller in diameter than thecounter-bore 55 to provide a continuous uninterrupted annular connectingpassage 6| which interconnects the packing material receiving spaces 35between said discs.

Therefore, the construction just described provides a plurality oflongitudinally arranged wider and narrower annular space portions 38 and31, respectively, substantially as before described.

In the form of the invention now being described, I combine the means Dand E and incorporate the same in a single. separate carrier 62 whichmay be a casting and-which comprises a plate 63, a lateral boss 64thereon, and a radially directed tubular extension 65. I show the plate63 and boss 64 as having an axial bore 66 whereby said casting can bemounted on the shaft B with the boss 64 fitting into the open end of thecounter-bore 55. I may fasten the two castings together by means ofstuds 51 carried by the hub 51 on either side of the shaft and whichproject through aligned holes 68 in the plate 63, and nuts 69 on thestuds arranged to draw the two castings together axially. In thismanner, the end of the boss 64 engages against the outermost disc 60 tohold the discs 60 in contiguous position.

I show the tubular extension 55 with an openended threaded axial passage10 and a connecting longitudinal passage H in the boss 64 which opens atthe end of the boss which bears againstthe discs 60. I preferably reducethe diameter of the end of said boss 64 at 12" so that the passage H hasfree communication with the mentioned annular passage 6|. In the abovemanner I provide interconnected passage and spaces comprising thepassages 10 and H, the annular passage BI, and the spaces 35 between thediscs 60.

The feed screw 12 of the means E has a polygonal head 13 and difiersfrom the screw 40 in that I provide it with a through axial openingcomprising an outer smaller hole 14 and an inner larger bore 15 whichconnects with the passage 10. The bore 15 terminates at a shoulder 16 inthe feed screw, and I provide a plunger 11 having a stem 18 positionedfor longitudinal movement in said bore 15 and hole 14, respectively. Aspring 79 is provided around the stem and between the shoulder 76 andplunger 11.

It will be obvious from the above that the screw 12 and the plunger 71will function in the same general manner as described for the screw 40and plunger 42. It will be further evident that packing material can beintroduced into the passage It to be forced, as before set forth, intothe spaces 35 between the discs 60 to provide an effective seal for theshaft 13'.

Having described only typical preferred forms and applications of myinvention, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specificdetails herein set forth, but wish to reserve to myself any variationsor modifications that may appear to those skilled in the art and fallwithin the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A packing gland of the character described including a gland bodyhaving an axial bore, a movable member in said bore, and means forsealing between said body and said member including, a plurality of likediscs around said member and in said bore cooperating to form annularinwardly convergent openings extending radially inward to said memberand surrounding said member, and flowable packing material fitting saidopenings and in sealing contact with said movable member.

2. A packing gland of the character described including a gland bodyhaving an axial bore, a movable member in said bore, and means forsealing between said body and said member including,

amo-

a plurality metal discs moundsaidmemlier and finrsaid bore, and;finwa'ble packing: material; between said .dises and imseazlingmcontaot:said bore 'andlsairtmovablemembemxeachs'of said discs including-aring-shaped element having-a thickened central portionwith a: cenimazl'ihoi'e passingzsaid. member, and! a plunalityaof laterally projectingspacer'lugs remote fromisaidiporfifom .3; A shaft packing including ahousing Bodyfor the shaft, anen'larged annularohamberfimiflw body aroundthe shaft, a: pluralityof likedisos mounted on the shaftand within thechamben; each disch'aving ath-ickened annularcentrafl 'powtion-aroundanal-adjacent the shaft, a pluralitymf circumferentiallyspacedtintegra'l :axi'alliy ed-spacer lugs on each disc remotefrOlILfiheWdk ened': portion, and flowa'ble' packing mater ial 'be tweensaid portions of the discs insea-ling contact with the's'h'aft;

4. A packing gland of the character described including, a gland bodyhaving an axialem: a movable member insaid bore, and-meanssealingbetweensaid body and said member-including, plurality of discs aroundsaid member-andiwithim said bore, the discs being' ofismailerdiam'e'ixer than the bore and providing an 'annularp'aekingpassage between the wall of the bore- REFERENCES CITED Thefollowingreferences are of record in the file of" this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Nlmiher Name Date 779,785 Junggren J an. 10, I9051,828,178 Fox: Oct. 20, 193' 1 1-,-83'Z',1l5' Cook -o Dec. 15, 193113445903; Queen Feb. 9, I932 220328317 Svenson- Mar. 3, 19'36 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 37,194 Norway of: 1823' 528,41-6- Germany of.1931- 806,-024- France of 1986

